1. Field
A drinking water supply device capable of supplying mineral water and a method of controlling a drinking water supply device are disclosed herein.
2. Background
In general, a drinking water supply device may be a device that supplies drinking water to a user. The drinking water supply device may be a stand-alone device or may constitute part of an electric home appliance, such as, e.g., a refrigerator.
A drinking water supply device may supply drinking water at room temperature. The drinking water supply device may cool drinking water using a cold water supply unit that includes a refrigeration cycle or may heat drinking water using a hot water supply unit that includes a heater. That is, the drinking water supply device may supply cold water or hot water to a user as needed.
Drinking water may be underground water, raw water or natural water supplied from a faucet, or filtered water obtained by filtering raw water. Drinking water may be defined as drinkable water.
Drinking water supply devices may be capable of providing water other than filtered water, cold water, or hot water. For example, the drinking water supply device may include a mineral water supply module. The mineral water supply module may provide mineral water that may contain a predetermined amount of minerals to a user.
Minerals may constitute one of five types of nutritional substances along with protein, fat, carbohydrates, and vitamins. Minerals may play an important part in biochemical activity such as, e.g., catalytic activity, in the human body and in the constitution of, for example, the bones and teeth. Mineral elements such as calcium (Ca), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and sodium (Na) may be important for metabolism.
Mineral water that may contain these minerals may play a supporting role in improving health, for example, discharging waste matter from the human body and promoting digestion. When a predetermined amount of minerals are in drinking water, the water may taste better than when the user drinks filtered water.
To make mineral water in a drinking water supply device, mineral water supply modules, e.g., an electro-analyzer, a mineral filter, and/or a device for directly supplying condensed minerals to filtered water, may be applied to the drinking water supply device. The device for directly supplying condensed minerals to filtered water may be more compact than other mineral water supply modules.
For example, the mineral water supply module, which may directly supply condensed minerals to filtered water, may be configured to have a structure in which minerals discharged from a mineral cartridge or container in which condensed mineral liquid may be stored may be supplied to a water discharge pipe via a mineral supply pipe.
Conventional mineral water supply modules may have a mineral supply pipe with the same inner diameter as a water discharge pipe. As a result, the amount of minerals supplied may easily vary depending upon a pressure from a pump configured to pressurize the mineral supply pipe. That is, the amount of minerals discharged may change so that the variation in concentration of minerals in mineral water discharged may be high. Thus, the mineral water may taste differently every time a user drinks the water.
When filtered water is supplied after mineral water has been discharged, minerals remaining in the mineral supply pipe may be easily introduced into the filtered water. As a result, a large amount of minerals may be discharged so that the filtered water provided may taste different.
It may also be difficult to make mineral water containing a predetermined content of minerals depending upon the flow rate of filtered water or the content of minerals. Thus, mineral water may taste different depending upon the variation in amount of raw water used.
Water may also taste different depending upon the season and/or upon the region where the drinking water supply device may be installed, even if the same drinking water supply device may be used. That is, water may taste differently every time a user drinks the water so the user may not drink mineral water that has a uniform taste. Thus, the reliability of the drinking water supply device may be reduced.